Private Bet #3: Eternal Night
by Shade
Summary: Genma Saotome has always been a poor excuse for a parent. But things could have been worse, and this time...they are. (Dark inclined)
1. Genma No Baka!

A Private Bet Entry-Shadow's Stone ver. 2.01  
  
Disclaimer: Everyone belongs to whoever owns them.  
  
Warning: We forecast dark scenes ahead,   
this is your last chance to turn  
back without suffering possible   
psychological trauma.  
  
You were warned!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
*Cringe*  
  
"I'm old!! Take my son instead!!!"  
  
Morrigan looked at the old fool before  
her and sighed in disgust, not even she  
would stoop so low as to take one   
so...pathetic. The boy on the other  
hand, now *he* had potential.  
  
"Very well, your son for your wretched life."  
  
Her crimson nails pinched harshly on Genma's exposed jugular.  
  
"I will come for him when he reaches his prime."  
  
The succubus slowly licked her lips as she imagined  
how tasty the "beef" would be once it was properly aged.   
  
"Now begone from my sight mortal before I change my mind."  
  
Genma tore out of the castle like a bat out of Hell, vowing to   
never again tamper with the forces of darkness in his quest to   
make Ranma the ultimate martial artist.  
  
He'd made a lot of promises like that before.  
  
Genma would probably be making them for years to come...  
  
...if he lived that long.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"So in exchange for my son's immortal soul I get   
the chowmein, eggrolls, and TWO fortune cookies?"  
  
"Yes." Surely no mortal was this stupid.  
  
"It's a deal!"  
  
Then again, maybe he was.  
  
Mara was ecstatic, at this rate she'd   
make demoness first class in no time.  
This was simply too easy.  
  
{Absolutely nothing can go wrong!}  
  
As an agent of Chaos and Misfortune she really  
should have known better.   
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
"He'll be perfect for Yohko when she's grown."  
  
"Is it agreed then? Your daughter will be   
engaged to my son Ranma."  
  
{Finally boy, you're becoming useful.}  
  
Two innocent children played happily in the grass,   
unaware and uncaring of the plots and plans for   
the future hatching in the house behind them.  
  
Each new friendship he made Ranma treasured, because   
even though the pain of leaving them behind was great,   
the sheer joy he felt whenever he was with the other   
kids was worth it.  
  
Yohko Mano smiled cheerfully at her new playmate.   
  
The Saotome charm struck again.  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
"Engage him to my Ayahko. I'll pay double what she did!"  
  
"Sold!!!"  
  
{Heh, this is too easy. I should do it more often.}  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
Seen in hindsight, it really was a stupid   
idea to try and pull a fast one over the   
Lin Kuei. But Genma being Genma, he was   
dumb enough to try once a sufficient amount of   
alcohol was swimming through his bloodstream.   
  
Of course once he realized that they wanted to  
turn his son into a robot he'd wasted no time  
in making tracks.  
  
Sub-Zero and Smoke were excellent assassins,  
but Genma was much better at running away   
then they were at following him.  
  
Losing that Scorpion character  
that kept trying to kill Ranma,  
now *that* proved to be more difficult.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
"Oooo, he's cute."  
  
"He's a bargain for just that bottle of sake."  
  
Urd thought about it, a pet human of her very own!  
  
"...okay!"  
  
{Hah, what a sucker. Foreigners are so gullible. After  
all what were the chances of this girl ever showing   
up in Japan again?}  
  
A wiser man would have been warned   
by the ominous rumble of thunder that  
followed that thought.   
  
~~~~~~  
-Here Comes Trouble  
  
"Amateurs." Shadow was disappointed by the stones  
cast so far, this was hardly going to be a challenge for him.  
  
"I suppose you can do better?" The Bard was still  
peeved at the treatment his neck had received from   
the arrogant cynic   
  
A gesture from within the folds of Shadow's cloak  
dissolved the view of the last entry.  
  
"Remember the rules! No blatant darkfics!"   
  
"Would I do such a thing?"  
  
"In a heartbeat." The entire gathering answered him.   
  
"Just watch." A small flick of Shadow's wrist  
sent the marble-sized pebble into the still waters.  
  
"Hah! you only got one ripple!"  
  
"One is all I need."  
  
~~~~~~~~  
Private Bet #3: Eternal Night   
by Shade  
  
~~~~~~~  
Part 1: Genma no Baka!  
~~~~~~  
  
-Contact-  
  
Reality shifted.  
  
A horrifying cry of pure agony arose.  
  
Genma knew something was very wrong   
the moment he drew back the cover   
to the pit.  
  
It was suddenly quiet inside...too quiet.  
  
After a few moments his eyes adjusted to the lack  
of lighting, despite the cover being off the bottom  
of the crude hole was still not illuminated very well.  
Then Genma saw what had happened to his son, the damage   
that he had inadvertently inflicted on his sole heir.  
  
"RANMA?! NO!!!"  
  
Nodoka was going to kill him.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
"Ugh-ugh...." The Bard had turned a  
faint shade of green after seeing what  
Shadow's change had done and was now  
making a heroic effort not to be very,   
very sick all over the pool.  
  
"This had better be good Shadow, inflicting   
something like that on him..."  
  
"Relax, you're too uptight Rowan. You seem to  
forget that my sphere of influence is darkness   
and conflict, Ranma is definitely going to be   
heavily involved with both in this time-line."  
  
"We shall see..."  
  
"Trust me. I know exactly what I'm doing."  
  
"That's what I'm afraid of."  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
At the hospital Doctor Mizuno broke the bad news to Genma.  
  
"BLIND?!?!?!"  
  
"Yes, I'm afraid that the damage to his   
optic nerves was too severe, although  
the cosmetic surgery will probably repair  
his eyes, the boy's vision is permanently gone.  
He's lucky to be alive all things considered,   
I've never seen such a vicious animal attack  
on a human body in all my years practicing   
medicine. Have you any idea of how such a   
thing could have happened?"   
  
She gave him a direct stare,   
suspecting that this weasely man   
knew more then he was letting on.  
  
"Uhh...no. I just found him like that  
and brought him straight here." Genma sweated,  
he didn't think that a mere doctor(and a woman at that)  
would understand the importance of the Art or the  
sacrifices involved. But this was unacceptable,   
Ranma would never be able to become the world's greatest   
martial artist with a disability like this!   
  
"Surely you can do something can't you? He has a duty  
to carry on the Saotome School of Anything Goes School   
of Martial Arts! You're a doctor, fix him!!"  
  
"MR. SAOTOME! THIS IS YOUR SON WE ARE  
TALKING ABOUT HERE!! NOT SOME TOY   
THAT CAN BE PUT BACK TOGETHER AFTER   
YOU BREAK IT!!! WHAT KIND OF A FATHER   
ARE YOU?!!!"   
  
With Mrs. Mizuno being only a normal human it was   
rather amazing to see her do a Flaming Demon Head   
impression that Soun would have envied at the now   
cowering Genma.  
  
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm SORRY!!!"   
  
No matter what else could be said of Genma Saotome,  
he sure knew how to grovel.  
  
"...You sir, are simply pathetic."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
In the intensive care ward 8 year old Ranma  
Saotome was crying. His father had told him  
that crying was weak and unmanly, but that  
didn't matter anymore. After all he couldn't  
even see his own tears anymore and if there  
were no tears then he wasn't crying.   
  
His last memory was of being tossed into  
the dark pit with the hungry yellow eyes.   
Then the sharp scratches, a white-hot pain   
in his eyes and after that...nothing.   
  
He had awoken in this strange place.   
It smelled kinda like that nice old lady's   
home he and pop had been living next to,   
waxy clean with a faint tinge of medicine  
in the air. Without his eyes Ranma was   
forced to explore with his other senses,  
his hands told him he was in a bed, with   
bandages around his eyes and on his  
body. He could hear a steady roaring in the  
background as the hospital's staff attended   
to the multitude of patients.  
  
And now he could hear the footsteps  
of someone coming towards him.  
  
"Who's there?!" Ranma asked, quelling   
the slight quaver in his voice.  
  
{A martial artist never shows fear.}   
  
The lesson had been drilled into him relentlessly   
and was strangely comforting right now.  
  
"hello." It was a girl's voice,   
but so soft that Ranma could  
barely make her words out.  
  
"Who are you?"   
  
"My name's Ami, Ami Mizuno.   
  
"I'm Ranma...Ranma Saotome."  
  
"You want to be friends?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
-A few weeks later  
  
"Hahahaha! I beat you again A-chan!"  
  
Ranma had pinned his new playmate with a hold he'd   
learned just before the *incident*. He loved any kind of  
physical activity and had finally convinced Ami-chan to   
try a little roughhousing.  
  
"I'll get you Ran-kun!"  
  
The blue haired girl analyzed the situation.   
She couldn't match Ranma's strength so she'd   
have to use her wits instead  
  
"Hahahahaha...No fair tickling!! Heehahaheeahahaha!!"  
  
The first Tickle Wars began.  
  
And thus a beautiful friendship was born.  
  
Alas, this happy time would not last long.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
-A couple months later  
  
"Bye bye A-chan."  
  
{Why do I always have to leave my friends behind?}  
  
Ranma did his best to hide how much this departure hurt him,   
he wouldn't shame his friend by breaking down crying like a   
little kid. But it hurt so much, the next few nights would   
be ones with damp pillows and cold sheets.  
  
"Bye Ran-kun."  
  
She was glad her friend couldn't see her tears,  
this was hard enough already.  
  
Though she had only known him for a few months   
Ami knew that she would never forget her special friend.   
Ranma had shown her a whole new side to life that she   
had never known existed, for the first time Ami had   
played with someone in her age group and enjoyed it.   
She'd learned how to have fun for the sake of having   
fun instead of always using it as a learning tool.   
Ran-kun had become her pet name for the both brash   
and shy boy that had stolen her heart with his   
openness and sincerity. He was simply so innocent,   
always happy to just be with her even if it was   
just to talk or simply sit next to each other   
and enjoy each other's company in silence.  
  
{I hope to see you again someday...Ran-kun.}  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
"If only she knew..."  
  
"Don't spoil it Bard." Shadow gave him a warning glance.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
*Smack*   
  
The sound of flesh striking flesh was   
unnaturally loud in the normally peaceful   
forest.  
  
"Oh the shame!!! Why am I cursed with   
such a weak good for nothing son!? WHY?!"  
  
*Slash*   
  
The tiny drops of crimson that fell were absorbed   
by the dry ground, leaving no trace of their existence.  
  
"Papa that hurts!" A weakening voice cried out to no avail.  
  
*Whack* A finger cracked as the joint bent   
in a direction it was never meant to go.  
  
"Quiet, you weakling! A real man can deal with a little pain!"  
  
Ranma bit on his tongue in order to prevent the   
scream that threatened to escape his lips as he   
was hit by another one of those strange vacuum  
blades his Father was throwing at him. He couldn't  
hear them, since they weren't solid he didn't feel   
the air that would normally forewarn of such an   
attack pushing against his skin. Ranma's lack of  
sight had never frustrated him as much as it did now.  
  
"These techniques will make you stronger. Now get up and try again!"  
  
Slowly the bruised and bleeding   
pigtailed boy struggled to his feet.  
  
A brutal blow to the ribs sent him back down,   
this time unconsciousness mercifully claimed   
the child.  
  
"Get up!!"  
  
*KICK*  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
-KILL!!!  
  
Several hundred battle auras lit up the   
dusky plain as the spectaters watched  
Genma beat on his boy's limp body.  
  
A lot of the beings gathered here were either  
directly or indirectly linked to protecting children.   
Needless to say, they were NOT happy about this.  
  
"That's it, he dies!" A healer cried out.  
  
A loud chorus of agreement came from the crowd.  
  
"Tear him limb from limb!!!" suggested a pacifist.  
  
"Burn him!!!" This came from a Naiad.  
  
"Lock him up in a room with the Barney/Smurfs/BeanieBaby/  
PokemonLemon/MagicalSelfInsert/DragonballAuthorAvatar/  
CareBears/MyLittlePony fanfic dubbed in bad Japanese!"  
  
The suggestion came from an anonymous otaku in the restless crowd.  
  
Everyone shuddered at that one.  
  
Some fates were even *worse* then death.  
  
  
-To be continued  
  



	2. Darkness of Twilight

Private Bet #3  
by Shade  
  
Disclaimer: Let the reader beware!  
  
~~~~~~~~  
Chapter 2: Darkness of Twilight  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Secret Techniques.   
Hidden Treasure.  
Only one old priest watching the whole place.  
  
The words were like music to Genma Saotome's ears.  
  
Despite his claims that hardship was needed for a true martial artist,   
the overweight hypocrite had no stomach (a first) for any real discomfort   
at his own expense. It was so much easier to find a cozy bar with a warm   
supper and as much alcohol as he could drink and let his disgraceful son   
endure the trials of being poor, cold, and hungry outside.  
  
Best of all in his opinion, was these little bits of gossip  
that help lead him to more opportunities to make his weak boy   
more of a man (and in the process steal enough loot to live well  
for awhile).  
  
"Who is he and where do I find him?"  
  
Genma didn't even bother asking what these techniques were,   
if it could make Ranma a better fighter then no sacrifice   
the boy had to make was too great.   
  
"His name is Yosho, the priest of the Masaki Shrine."  
  
~~~~~~  
-Masaki Shrine  
  
"Trying to take something that doesn't belong to you?"  
  
Genma swallowed nervously as he froze in mid-theft.  
  
Yosho's glasses flashed as a stray beam of   
sunlight struck at just the right angle.  
  
The bald fool got the feeling that he and his son were going   
to be staying here awhile, whether they wanted to or not.  
  
For once in his life, Genma was right.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Ranma and Tenchi were almost polar opposites, though they shared some  
similar events in their lives. Both had lost their mothers at an early age,  
Ranma's to his training and Tenchi's to the grave. Their fathers were   
equally poor in their own ways. Neglect was almost worst then abuse,  
at least there were times when Genma had actually been there for his   
son no matter how badly he usually treated him.  
  
Tenchi was well on his way to becoming an introvert,   
burying his pain instead of letting it heal.   
  
But this day he found himself face to face with a boy   
hanging from a branch overhead as he made his way up   
to the Demon's cave.  
  
"Boo!"  
  
Tenchi responded intelligently.  
  
"GAH?!!"   
  
"Hi! Wanna be friends!"  
  
"Huh?!"  
  
"My name's Ranma!"   
  
The boy swung up and off the branch he'd been hanging from   
into a triple somersault and finally touched down in a perfect   
three point landing right in front of Tenchi...almost.  
  
A piece of loose foliage spoiled his entrance, causing the young   
hyperactive martial artist to stumble and fall flat on his face.  
  
"Ouch!"  
  
The stoic young boy tried to control himself.   
  
"Hahahahahaha!"  
  
He failed.   
  
It was an unexpected feeling, the first real   
crack in the emotional shell Tenchi had built   
up around him to keep others out.  
  
"Hey! Wanna at least give me a hand up?!"  
  
Ranma sputtered literally, his wide open mouth   
had gotten a nice taste of humble pie and it tasted   
like old leaves. Blech!  
  
"Ah...Sure."   
  
A hand was offered and accepted.  
  
"So what's your name?"  
  
"Me? Tenchi. Tenchi Masaki."  
  
"Whatcha doing?"  
  
"Um I'm going up to th-the-"  
  
"Wanna play?"  
  
"Huh?! Ah...I...ac-actually-"  
  
"Let's go!"  
  
"Wha?! Wa-wait a minute!"  
  
"Wheee!!"  
  
"AAAAHHHH!!"  
  
And so it went.  
  
Tenchi never did make it up to the cave that day.  
  
Or the next day, or the day after that.  
  
After awhile even the stick in the mud Masaki would have   
to admit he was having the time of his life, even when   
he wasn't sure that he would survive the experience.  
Ranma's sheer zest for life seemed to just sweep   
him along for the ride.  
  
But that first night would turn out to be even more startling.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
"You're challenging GRANDPA?!"  
  
Surely he couldn't have heard him right!  
  
"Yeah."   
  
"But WHY?!"  
  
Ranma looked subdued for a moment before answering.  
  
"Pops...po-pops tried to take some stuff from the temple,   
if I win then me and Pops get to stay here and he doesn't   
haveta go to jail."  
  
"And if you lose?"  
  
"Then the temple gets our Tantos, they're worth   
enough to pay for what my father tried to take."  
  
"But what'll happen to you if your dad has to..."  
  
Concern filled Tenchi, even though they had just met   
a few hours earlier he found himself worrying for Ranma.  
  
"I-I don't know...But I'm not gonna lose!!"  
  
Tenchi swallowed back his misgivings, something about that   
determined tone struck a similar chord within him.   
  
He found himself believing Saotome.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Three figures stood in the courtyard.  
  
Two faced each other, the third could only   
watch the drama unfolding in front of him.  
  
"Are you ready?"  
  
"Ready."  
  
"Very well then, the match will be until the first hit.   
Is that alright with you young one?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Tenchi could only watch with mounting horror, there was no way   
his new friend could possibly win this. Grandpa was a master   
of the first rank with the wooden bokken, all Ranma could   
possibly accomplish would be a lot of painful injuries as   
Tenchi himself could attest to from hard experience.  
  
Yosho assumed the basic Jurai stance for combat as across from him   
Ranma settled into a seemingly relaxed textbook Kempo stance.   
His feet were positioned funny though, they were too far apart for   
the boy to be able to attack effectively and his hips were turned   
slightly at an angle towards his opponent.  
  
The dark shaded glasses he wore blocked any attempt to look into his eyes,   
making it impossible for the venerable warrior to study them and figure out   
what the boy was planning.  
  
Yosho had decided it was in Ranma's best interests   
for him to be raised away from the influence of Genma,  
perhaps even taking him on as a student of the temple.  
  
Choosing to end this fight quickly the undefeated   
swordsman supreme of the Royal House of Jurai  
launched the first attack.  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
Tenchi's jaw had buried itself into the ground   
and was making good progress on its way to London.  
  
This fight had been going on far   
longer then he'd thought possible.  
  
And Ranma was still holding his own?!  
  
It was unbelievable!  
  
Yet somehow, impossible as it appeared to be the   
young martial artist had managed to evade or block   
everything that the old man had thrown at him,   
no matter what direction he attacked from Ranma was   
always a step ahead of him.   
  
It was as if Ranma didn't even see any of the  
feints or false openings the swordmaster tried,   
Twice the boy had either leapt over or ducked strikes   
to his rear that he couldn't have possibly known were   
coming. Who was this boy?!  
  
~~~~~  
  
The young martial artist in question was starting to   
breathe hard from the strain he was putting his body   
through. This man was *much* better this father.  
  
It took every bit of skill he possessed along with   
a big dose of luck to keep that weaving sword from   
connecting and even though only a few minutes had   
passed it felt as if he'd been fighting for hours.   
  
There.  
  
The disturbance of the 'wa' came a millisecond before the actual strike,   
but long enough to backflip out of the sweeping cut. As Yosho twisted   
his blade and took a step forward to turn the cut into a lunge   
the stubborn Saotome boy did a perfect split and dropped to the floor,   
falling as he had been taught. The strike missed his crotch by less   
then the span of three hairs as Ranma's foot lashed out in a roundhouse sweep,   
forcing Yosho to leap up to avoid being knocked off his feet.   
The old man came down with a flying strike but the boy rolled out of the way,   
giving himself some space to breathe.  
  
{Incredible...I have the techniques of the Royal House at my disposal   
and still he manages to avoid defeat. And if I'm not mistaken he's   
already learning how to make use of them himself! His unique style   
is already changing, I can see his posture adjusting to compensate   
for my greater reach and that strike he just attempted was a variation   
of the move I just used against him less then two minutes ago!  
If nothing else I can't let such potential be wasted.}  
  
Ranma was getting desperate, none of his regular moves had worked so far.  
  
{I've got to take the offensive or I'm finished.   
But I can't get close enough to avoid that damn sword,   
he's simply too skilled with it. I can't keep this pace up   
for much longer. I've got no choice...I have to try a  
special technique.}  
  
The boy danced back as the warrior resumed his relentless  
offense, pushing Ranma back bit by bit until the pigtailed   
boy found himself backed into a corner.  
  
"Well my boy, you've done exceptionally well for someone of   
your age and skill. There is no dishonor in surrendering now,   
you have nowhere left to run."  
  
"No! This fight isn't over yet! I won't surrender,   
this fight is until the first hit or knockout!"  
  
"Very well."  
  
Yosho sighed, both impressed by the boy's courage and dismayed by his stubborness.  
  
{Here it comes.}  
  
His timing would have to be perfect or else it would all be over anyway.  
  
Ranma extended his 'wa' to its fullest, his ordinary   
senses seeming to become hypersensitive as the ki   
flowed through his body.  
  
"Kiiiiya!" Yosho dashed in, his sword held overhead.  
  
Ranma's hands seemed to blur as he pulled out a large cloth.  
  
{NOW!}  
  
"Saotome Anything Goes Secret Technique! Goshin Dai Ryü Sei Fu!"  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
"Say what?!" Several of the non-Japanese speaking watchers asked.  
  
"Translates as 'Body-Defense Shooting Star Cloth',  
a move from the Umisenken School that doesn't make   
you totally invisible but comes darn close."  
  
Shadow looked mildy impressed by the fact that Ranma had actually managed   
to pull his daring gambit off. The kid had balls, too many ethics perhaps,   
but then again no one was perfect.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Ranma vanished from sight.   
  
The wooden blade cleaved through the   
air he'd been occupying a heartbeat later.  
  
For the first time in seven hundred years Yosho found himself   
caught off guard by an opponent. For an endless moment his eyes   
darted around, searching for his missing target.   
  
The former prince had possessed the quickest reflexes   
in the Juraian Empire while he'd lived on Jurai and   
age had not dulled his abilities. As soon as Ranma   
reappeared right behind at his most vulnerable angle   
Yosho knew and spun in a dizzyingly blur of motion,   
his sword coming at a speed and angle that the boy   
couldn't possibly hope to block or evade in time.   
  
It was over.  
  
{Not yet!}  
  
Ranma could feel the blow coming and knew that this was it.  
  
His arm lashed out in a race against time.  
  
Two separate attacks struck out at unbelievable speeds.  
  
*Pow*  
  
The scene seemed to freeze as a deathly hushed silence descended.  
  
Ranma gave a small groan and fell with a loud crash to the stone tiles,  
a large bump on his side from where the the hit had connected showing.  
The strain of those final moments had been too much for the young boy   
and he just lay there, out like a light.  
  
{Oh no.}  
  
Tenchi ran over to see if his friend was all right.  
  
"Tenchi."  
  
His Grandfather's voice stopped him.  
  
"Grandpa?"  
  
"Take Ranma inside, I'll be there in a minute to check on his injury.   
I need to speak with his father first."  
  
"Grandpa?!"  
  
His eyes seemed to ask what he didn't state with his words.  
  
"You'd better prepare the other two guestrooms,   
it looks those two will be staying for awhile."  
  
"Grandpa!" Tenchi looked like a person who'd just been   
informed of a stay of execution. Ranma was going to be   
staying with them! So relieved that he didn't even bother   
to question this, Tenchi carefully supported the now   
semiconscious boy as they made their way back to the main temple.  
  
Yosho watched the two of them go, making sure that no one else was around to see.  
  
Then carefully he pulled back the top of his white priest robes to reveal   
a good-sized red bruise forming on his shoulder.  
  
{Well I'll be damned.}  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
Remarkably it took Ranma only two days to recover from the battle.   
  
His natural hardy constitution had him back on his feet   
the first day, the second saw him already running around   
again.  
  
It was like paradise for him here.   
  
A new friend, plenty of food and a warm place to sleep.  
  
And Yosho Sensei had even offered to train him!  
  
Genma couldn't object, even after his bruises faded   
he had no way to stop Yosho. His natural cowardice   
instead took a different route for him to deal with   
his humilation and anger over being defeated.   
  
{It's all the boy's fault!!!}  
  
He would have to discipline Ranma again, it was his duty as his son's father   
and master. But it would have to wait until he could make sure that the priest   
wouldn't find out. Genma suspected the old man knew far more about the situation   
then he was letting on and only the tantalizing lure of new secret techniques   
kept the bald martial artist from just taking his son and running.  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
Once again the intangible spirit found   
herself watching the newcomers to the valley.  
  
When the Saotomes had arrived the former pirate   
hadn't known at first, Genma had been recuperating   
in his room from the thrashing he'd taken when trying to fight  
the sword master after being discovered stealing from the temple.   
  
She had noticed when her Tenchi didn't show up around the cave   
for a few days. This had prompted concern and worry from   
the intangible being. Had something happened to him?  
  
It wasn't till later that she learned of their encounter.  
But it was Ranma's own natural curiosity that finally led  
to the meeting between himself and Ryoko.  
  
"Who are you?"   
  
Yosho's lessons had begun to sharpen Ranma's crude ability   
to sense Ki and ever since he'd arrived he'd been feeling   
this strange prickling at the edges of his perception.  
It had not taken him long to find the origin of those  
feeling up here.  
  
{You can sense me?!}   
  
Her astral jaw dropped.  
  
"You seem real nice."  
  
The projection facefaulted as this new shock to her system proved too much for her.  
  
The most feared and dastardly space pirate in the quadrant   
was being called...nice?!  
  
A lonely imprisoned being several thousand years old  
was up against an adorable blind pigtailed boy that   
could charm the socks off of a hardened miser.  
  
Ryoko never stood a chance.  
  
-To be continued... 


End file.
